


Truth of the World

by neverthesameperson



Category: Bandom, Blink-182, Cobra Starship, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Paramore
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - 1970s, Alternate Universe - Australia, Car Sex, Drug Use, F/M, Family Drama, High School, Minor Character Death, Surfing, but not the main focus, lots of aussie slang littered in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:40:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24216064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neverthesameperson/pseuds/neverthesameperson
Summary: Ashlee and Sarah are best friends, and all they want in life is to join the infamous Greenhills Gang.But is it all it's cracked up to be?-By day, they were at school learning logarithms, but by night - in the back of cars, on Cronulla Beach, or, if they were lucky, in a bed while someone's parents were out - they paid off their friendship ring.
Relationships: Ashlee Simpson/Mikey Way, Ashlee Simpson/Pete Wentz, Pete Wentz/Victoria Asher, Sarah Orzechowski/Brendon Urie
Kudos: 2





	1. Down The Beach

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there!
> 
> This is my first fic and I'm really excited to share this as the idea came to me while bored in quarantine. 
> 
> As you may have read the vague synopsis, this story is based on one of my favourite coming-of-age story called Puberty Blues. It was first a book, which was adapted to a movie, which then adapted to a TV show. I'll be basing my work on the show as I find it more interesting and there's more depth in the story. I have not changed the dialogue, it all comes from the source material. 
> 
> Just a few other points: since there's no information about Sarah's parents, I have used the names that come from the source material, as well as giving Ashlee a younger brother as I couldn't figure out how to change the story to fit with Jessica Simpson. 
> 
> I will also have a glossary at the beginning of each chapter for the Australian slang used for those who are unfamiliar with our way of speaking:
> 
> Wog - a slur used to describe Italian/Greek immigrants  
> Bankies - nickname for residents of Bankstown  
> Pash - kiss  
> Drop - break up with someone  
> Moll - a slur used to describe someone, particularly women, as desperate  
> Knick off/Rack off! - Piss off!  
> Clip around the ears - a little smack to the head  
> Golden duck - a term in cricket when a batsman is bowled out with no runs  
> Ciggies - cigarettes  
> Poofta - a slur used to describe someone as gay  
> Five finger discount - shoplifted  
> Chin - Chinese  
> Arvo - afternoon  
> Youse - you all, the Aussie version of y'all  
> Spunk - an attractive person  
> Hoe - eat at a fast pace  
> Root - fuck, having sex  
> Ambo - ambulance

Ashlee Simpson was in her own world.

Her dad, Joe, had walked towards the dining area and caught Ashlee standing in the doorway, school uniform on and staring out the window as if she was in deep thought. She had always been a dreamer. 

“Morning Ash,” Joe said, kissing Ashlee on the cheek and pulling her out of her trance. Ashlee looked up and smiled at her dad as he sat down at the dining room table, the newspaper in front of him. 

“Do you want toast Dad?” Ashlee asked as she tied her red-brown hair in braids.

“Thank you sweetheart,” Joe replied. As Ashlee entered the kitchen to grab some bread, her mum, Tina, walks in while calling for Ashlee’s brother. 

“David! Where’s David?” Tina asks her husband.

“David!” Joe calls out a little louder. 

Tina then noticed her daughter standing in the kitchen and asks, “Did you finish Emma?” As the principal of the local primary school in Cronulla, Tina was always lending books from the library for Ashlee to read, mainly about female empowerment. 

“Yeah it was great,” Ashlee just says, not noticing her mum smiling as she drank her tea. 

Ashlee hears footsteps approaching the dining area. She turns her head to see David with only his school shirt on, no pants. “Can you put some pants on?” Ashlee asks with a little disgust in her voice.

“I have a strange rash on my inner legs,” David says with a bit of concern. “Up near my –“

“Yes David.” Joe interrupts, not wanting his son to continue what he was about to say. “Alright, breakfast is not the place.”

However Tina was already kneeling down to inspect the red rash on David’s thighs and says, “Oh you’re probably just chafing”, as if it was a normal topic to be brought up in the early morning over toast and coffee. 

“Ah I’m with Dad, can we not talk about this while we’re eating?” Ash asks with more disgust this time.  
Tina ignores her, however, already standing up and grabbing her schoolwork for the day. “I have to go. Ashlee, can you look after David please?”

Ash stops spreading the butter on the bread and turns to her mum. “You cannot be serious,” she says in disbelief.

“And yet you know I am,” Tina replies, patting her son’s hair goodbye before walking out of the room and to the garage. 

David looks back to his mum and says, “I’m ten and she’s not looking there.” Ashlee stares at her brother in a mixture of disgust and shock, and then looks to her dad, who just gives her a look back and adjusts his glasses, continuing with the article he was reading. 

\---

Sarah Orzechowski was sitting in front of the mirror, trying to squeeze a pimple that had appeared on her chin. 

It only made it look worse, so she gave up and grabbed the foundation from her dresser table, dabbing a little bit on her chin and on her forehead where she had popped another pimple. It was an improvement at least. 

Sarah gave herself one last look of her reflection and taking in her features; her large blue eyes, long jet-black hair and sharp jaw line, before leaving her room and lazily walking across the living room towards her parent’s bedroom.

Sarah’s dad, Roger, was usually up earlier than the rest of family. It was part of his morning routine to take a drive to the beach, whether to just observe the ocean or have a surf, before coming back home to get ready for his job at his art studio. So it was no surprise for Sarah to see her mum, Pam, sleeping alone in their bed. Sarah quietly tucked herself in while trying to not wake her mum up, but the bed was a waterbed, so Pam woke up to the rippling movements of the mattress made by her daughter. 

“Hey poppet,” Pam mumbled, still half asleep. “Are we late?”

“Yeah, I had a dream,” Sarah replied while snuggling in closer to her mum.

“Bad or good?”

“Well I was in this park,” Sarah continues dreamily. ”And there were all these rabbits around me, and they started talking to me.”

“What were they saying?”

“You’re pretty, do you have any carrots, stuff like that.”

“Hmm,” Pam mumbles again, and Sarah closes her eyes, almost falling asleep again. But then she heard footsteps approaching.

“Oh hello.” Sarah opens her eyes and smile as she sees her dad in the doorway. “Still asleep are we?”

“Mm, we are,” Pam responds.

“Well that just won’t do.”

Roger walks closer to the bed, looks at his wife and daughter, and jumps on the mattress. 

Pam laughs while Sarah squeals as she’s rocked by the ripples caused by her dad, proceeding to fall out and land hard on the floor. 

“Fell overboard!” Roger yells out jokingly while laying down in bed next to Pam.

“I hate you,” Sarah replies with lightness in her voice. 

“Go and get educated, my darling,” Roger tells her as Sarah crawls across the bed and out of their room to get ready for school.

\---

Ashlee and Sarah were sitting at their bench in science class. In front of them, a white mouse was scratching at the walls of the glass bottle it was contained in. 

“He’s joking isn’t he?” Sarah asks, staring wide-eyed at the mouse.

“I don’t think so,” Ashlee says, looking at the blackboard where their science teacher, Mr Candy, was writing the procedure for dissection. 

Mr Candy turned around and noticed their terrified faces. “Girls, don’t look so horrified. They’re not kittens, they’re rodents. And this is the most humane way.”  
The last sentence was directed at the rest of the class. 

“Looks like Lioness, you remember Lioness?” Sarah continues to talk to Ashlee, still shocked that they have to not only kill, but also cut open this little creature. 

“Your neighbour?” Ash asks, confused.

“My guinea pig,” Sarah corrects. 

Mr Candy continues on. “Now take your cylinders of carbon dioxide, attach the hose to the air hole,” he pauses as he watches his students follow his instructions. “That’s it, and open the cylinder. Try not to inhale. In a moment the creature will die.”

“If anyone doesn’t want to kill theirs I’ll do ‘em,” a voice calls out from the back of the room, resulting in the entire class erupting with laughter. It belonged to Joe Trohman, always the class clown and one of the members of the infamous Greenhills Gang.

“Thank you Dr Trohman, I think everyone’s just fine,” My Candy mutters without any amusement in his voice.

Ashlee looked back at where Joe was sitting, her gaze lingering at his wild curls and attractive face before her eyes caught someone else staring at her with narrow eyes.

It was Hayley Williams, another member of the Greenhills Gang.

It was known that there were three main sections of Cronulla Beach – South Cronulla, North Cronulla and the Greenhills. Everyone was trying to make it to Greenhills. That was where the prettiest girls and the best surfers hung out. They were the popular kids at school and were admired everywhere they were seen. Hayley was considered the Head Girl of the Greenhills, along with her friend Victoria Asher, or Vicky, as people know her. There were more girls, but those two were at the top. 

Ashlee and Sarah were not part of the Greenhills at all. Instead they were stuck in South Cronulla, also known as Dickheadland. That was the section where the bad surfers, the wogs and the Bankies swarmed. 

That’s what Ashlee and Sarah were. Dickheads. 

Ashlee turned her head back towards the front of the classroom in embarrassment as Mr Candy kept talking through the process. “Ok people, now in a minute, grab your spiky things and we’re going to insert them into their eye to pierce their brain so to ensure that they are dead.

“Then,” the teacher continues with too much enthusiasm, “grab your scalpels, and we are going to look at the beauty of an animal, and its internal systems. It really is remarkable.”

“I can’t do this,” Sarah whispered to Ashlee with the colour drained from her face.

“Faint,” Ashlee suggests.

Sarah slowly slides off her stool and falls to the ground. 

“Sir she fainted.”

\---

Pete Wentz was basking in the sun with his eyes closed during lunch.

He had skipped his morning classes to go surfing with his best mate, Brendon, because his main excuse for missing English was this: he already speaks English.

It had been worth it. Both Pete and Brendon had caught some great waves that morning, and surfing was a form of escapism to Pete. He loves waiting out for the perfect set, the cold water that hits his face when he ducks under whitewash and the sense of euphoria he gets once he is standing up, riding the energy that propels him across the water. 

It’s the thing that Pete does best.

The water is his sanctuary. His second home.

It suddenly gets dark and Pete opens his eyes to see his girlfriend Vicky standing over him, her head blocking the sun. 

“I was looking for you,” Vicky greets him.

“Well I guess you can stop,” Pete greets her back, looking through his hair.

“Thought you were gonna meet me at the canteen.”

“I got busy. The waves were good.”

Vicky isn’t surprised with that answer. “Right. You better pash me then, make it up.”

“Do I have to?” Pete asks with a growing smile.

“Come on,” Vicky retorts back with a little seduction as she takes out the gum she was chewing. “Pash me off.”

Pete lifts his head to meet Vicky’s lips. With wide mouths and sucking each other’s tongues, the kiss is out in the open as the rest of the Greenhills look on, whistling and cheering for them.

“Vicky!”

Pete and Vicky break the kiss to look up at Mrs Grantham, the principal. 

“Really? Next year, when you, no doubt, are a stripper you’re gonna clunk one.”

“Sorry, Mrs Grantham,” Vicky mocks as the principal walks away to continue monitoring the rest of the students. “Didn’t mean to make you jealous.” The gang cheers on Vicky for her retort.

Further away at another bench, Ashlee and Sarah look on, admiring the Greenhills from a safe distance. 

“That Pete guy is so good looking he’s like a god,” Ashlee says to Sarah as they both stare at Pete with his mates, Brendon, Patrick and Joe, surrounding him.

They take in all of Pete’s features. His sun-kissed tan skin, his slender body with strong muscles, his black hair that clumps together from weeks and months of soaking in saltwater. His wide smile that crinkles his eyes and lights up the room.

“Better than,” Sarah agrees and turns to look at Ashlee. “I’d let him do it with me.”

Ashlee scoffs at that. “He can’t be your first, you don’t even know what to do.”

Just as she says this, Ashlee’s boyfriend, Ben, had walked up to her, holding her favourite ice-cream in his hand.

“Hey. Got you a Splice.”

Ashlee happily accepts the ice-ream. “A Splice is nice I could eat one twice,” she sings. Sarah just stares with a little embarrassment. 

“Right. See ya,” Ben says.

Sarah keeps staring at him as we walks away and says to Ashlee with a shrug, “You have to drop him.” 

“He’s nice, he got me a Splice and a Splice is nice –“

“Ashlee!” Sarah cuts her off before she can finish.

“What?”

Sarah looks back to where the Greenhills were sitting before turning back to Ashlee. 

“We can’t be one of them, if you’re pashing dickheads from South Cronulla.”

Ashlee looks back to where Ben walked off to, and quickly turns to watch the Greenhills again.

Sarah was right. Ben had to go.

\---

Ashlee and Sarah were walking out of the main building after the final bell rang to signal the end of another school day.

“I have to go see my mum,” Ashlee tells Sarah as they descend down the stairs towards the bus stop.

“Oh hurry. I want to sit at the back of the bus,” Sarah replies before Ashlee walks away.

Ash chuckles at this because the back of the bus is reserved entirely for the Greenhills. “We can’t just sit at the back of the bus Sarah, just change seats like that.”

“Well not at the very back of the bus but close to them.” Sarah lowers her voice and looks over her shoulder to see the Greenhills walking behind them. “They see us as goody-goodies.”

“Well, we’re not,” Ashlee responds as she starts walking off. She then quickly turns to her best friend and brings two fingers to her lips. “We should start smoking.”

Sarah brings her two fingers up to her lips as well, making sure Ashlee sees before she runs towards her mum’s office.

And Ashlee made it just in time before their bus arrived. The two girls had made sure to be the first ones on the bus and to get the seats that were furthest from the front, but not so far back as to avoid invasion of the Greenhills.

Of course, as they were waiting in their chosen seat, a girl had walked up to them, waiting from them to move to the front. 

“What?” Ashlee asked, feigning innocence. “You’re up there now.”

The girl scoffs. “No way moll.”

“Knick off or I’ll smash you!” Sarah says back, standing from her seat as if she would fight. The girl gives them a look, and then gives up, moving to the seat next to her.

Ashlee and Sarah burst out laughing but then quickly smooth their faces as the Greenhills come on the bus. Meagan gave them a confused look, so did Hayley. The boys didn’t notice them as they were talking about going to the beach. Once they were all settled in their seats, it was done. 

Ashlee and Sarah had successfully sat at the back of the bus. 

“We did it,” Sarah whispers to Ashlee as they relax in their seats.

Unfortunately, Sarah gets pelted with something wet. 

They didn’t have to turn their heads to know who did it. 

They stayed seated as Meagan and Hayley threw sucked orange segments at their heads. 

\---

Dale Wentz was standing at her ironing board, staring out the window in a trance when she heard the door click open and then shut. 

“Pete?” she calls out as she resumes ironing her dress for tonight.

“Hey Mum,” Pete greets her as he walks over to the kitchen. 

“I made some Anzacs for you.”

Pete sees the oat biscuits still on the baking tray. He stacks two of them on top of one another. “Thanks,” he says before biting the sandwiched biscuits at once. 

Dale chuckles. “Classy.” 

Pete looks up to his mum and sees her black hair all wispy. “Your hair, what’d you do to it?”

“I had it done,” Dale remarks, seeming proud and shy at the same time. “Don’t you like it? It’s very modern.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was gonna say. Looks kinda like the Opera House.”

Dale laughs. “Really? What, bad?”

“Mum, I’m teasing you, looks great,” Pete smiles at his mum as he stuffs more Anzac biscuits in his mouth. 

“We’re going to go to the club tonight.” By ‘we’, Dale meant herself, Pete and his dad, Peter, who works as a dentist in the city. “Your father will be home at seven.”

Pete takes more biscuits and just says, “Ok”, before heading out of the kitchen towards his room. 

Dale just looks on as he walks away. She looks down at the pink dress. “Maybe I should wear the blue dress.”

“Yeah sure,” Pete calls out, not really paying attention.

“Your father likes me in blue,” Dale mutters to herself before staring out the window again. 

A few hours have past before Dale is opening Pete’s door, her son not noticing as he has Richard Clapton blasting in his headphones while reading his surfing magazine. 

“Hi,” Dale calls softly. “Sorry, Pete.” Pete turns his attention to his mum. She’s wearing the blue dress for the club. 

“Your father’s so tired he’s going to stay in town.”

Pete scoffs and continues to read. “Right.” He’s not surprised. It wasn’t uncommon for his dad to stay over at a hotel for a night or two. 

“Yeah, he’s got an emergency root canal in the morning so it’s best than coming all this way in traffic.” She sounds upset, but Pete continues to ignore Dale as she starts picking up his clothes from the floor. “So I thought maybe I could cook dinner and we could chat about school. Or we could get fish and chips and bring them back here and you could have half a cheeky beer?”

Pete knows she’s trying but he shakes his head. “Nah, I’m still gonna go to the club Mum. And I reckon you should come too, meet some people.”

This time it’s Dale that shaking her head. “Not without your father.”

“You could make some new friends.”

“It’s not really right.”

“Jesus.” Pete sounds exasperated. He knows his mother is shy and timid, always cooped up in their home. It wouldn’t hurt for her to go out on her own for just one night. 

“So, fish and chips then?” Dale keeps suggesting but Pete ignores her again, only looking back up once she is out of his room. 

He lets out a sigh as he throws the magazine on his bed, swinging his legs over until an idea pop in his head. Pete quickly removes the needle from the record before climbing onto his desk, crawling out of his window and heading to the club. 

\---

The Simpsons are seated at an indoor table at the local club, three of them scrolling through their menus as Tina decides on her usual ham steak and pineapple.

“Can I just get sweets?” David asks.

“How about you just get a clip around the ears instead?” Joe threatens, not looking up.

David thinks for a second. “And then just sweets?” Both parents just laugh.

As Ashlee decides on a bowl of chips, Hayley and her mum, Cristi, walk in with a baby stroller, carrying a little boy. Tina looks up and says a hello to Cristi, who smiles back.

Tina then greets Hayley. “Hi Hayley.”

“Mrs Simpson,” is all she says back.

“Hi Hayley,” Ashlee tries to call to her but she’s already walking away, obviously ignoring her. 

“Who wants to start?” Tina suddenly announces.

Ashlee groans. The Simpsons played this game once every week over dinner. Every member of the family had to say something about the week that was interesting, or at least the biggest thing that had happened to them. “Do we have to?”

Joe seemed very excited as he set his glasses on the table. “I’ll start. We got a new computer at work today. It’ll calculate all the statistics of a month of research, in a day. It’s truly amazing.” Tina and David seemed legitimately intrigued about this but Ashlee only put on a disinterested smile. 

David was next. “I made the cricket team for the grand final next week.”

This confused Tina. “I thought you were averaging six runs a game.”

“I was, and then I got dropped. And they put Phil in, but he’s done three golden ducks in a row, so I’m back in.”

“Oh, congratulations,” Tina said as both she and Joe clapped for their son. Ashlee wasn’t paying attention though; she was looking for Sarah to show up.

“Ash, biggest thing for you this week?”

“Um” – quickly, think of something – “the book Mum gave me.”

She was talking about the new book Tina lent her; it was Persuasion by Jane Austen. Her mum seemed pleased by this. “Oh do you like it?”

“Yeah mum it’s great.” Ashlee wanted this to be over now. “Mum, what about you this week?”

“Um, my fourth grade teacher is looking a bit shaky, 10% of my budget got slashed, but no fatalities so that’s a bonus.”

Ashlee started standing form her seat. “Can I go see if Sarah’s here?”

“When dinner’s finished,” Tina replied sternly, making Ashlee sit down again. 

As Joe was asking what drink she wanted, Sarah walked in and Ashlee was out of her seat in a flash, pushing Sarah towards the door to get outside.

“Ashlee!” Tina called out but Ashlee was gone. She then saw two figures with a drink in their hands walking to their table. They were Roger and Pamela Orzechowski.

It was funny that while Ashlee and Sarah were best friends (some could call them inseparable), their parents could barely be called acquaintances. Roger worked as an artist for his own design business, while Joe studied marine life at the pier. Pam was a free spirit who left everything out in the open, whereas Tina was grounded and kept her emotions in check. Both sets of parents were complete opposites. 

Pam was the first to say something. “Hello there.”

Joe gives a small wave as Tina looks over Pam’s colourful dress. “Oh, you look nice.”

“Yeah, you too.”

“Haha, thanks for lying,” Tina replies, almost self-deprecating.

“She’s tired,” Joe only says. There’s an uncomfortable silence before Roger breaks it. 

“How’s school?”

Tina smiles to Roger. “Great.”

“You realise that you’ve been at that school since you were five?”

“I try not to think about it.”

“I think it’s nice to have that continuity,” Pam comments.

“And she’s great at it,” Joe says as he looks over to his wife smiling at his compliment.

Roger continues. ”To think the stories that I could tell those impressionable kids about their Headmistress.”

Tina lets out a chuckle. “Boring stories of me trying to do the right thing all the time?”

“Yeah.”

“And it’s Principal now. I’ve always hated Headmistress, it always sounded like I was the chief whore.” Tina says this proudly and both Roger and Pam burst out laughing. Tina has a giggle herself but her husband isn’t going along with the joke. 

“Tina, it’s not appropriate.”

The laughing stops and the uncomfortable silence is back as the adults down their drinks. 

\---

“Look at him.”

Ashlee and Sarah were standing by a random car in the carpark, observing the Greenhills from a safe distance as they were sprawled out in their panel vans, smoking cigarettes or joints of weed

Earlier they had seen Ben and decided that it was the right time for Ashlee to drop him. It had actually been easy. Mainly because Sarah offered to do it. All it took was for Sarah to walk up to Ben, say “You’re dropped” and walk away. 

Now they had all their attention and admiration on one guy in particular. He was the oldest in the gang at 19 years of age and by far the top surfer out of all the boys. Bleach-blonde hair, light stubble on his face and a little shorter than average, but just as gorgeous as all the others. The girls around him were laughing at something he said. 

“Billie Joe Armstrong, he’s a complete doll,” Sarah remarked. 

Ashlee had to agree with that. “He looked at me at the shops the other day.”

Sarah gasped at this. “He didn’t.”

Ashlee nodded vigorously. “Yeah. Almost had a heart attack, thought I was gonna die.”

They turned their attention back to where Billie was until they heard someone run out of the club and vomit all over the ground. Oh dear. 

“Mr Candy?”

Their science teacher looked their way. “Morning girls,” he managed to say without spewing again before stumbling back inside. 

Ashlee and Sarah just stare at each other before bursting into giggles, as it was not often that you see your teacher on a Friday night drunk.

Ashlee then goes to open her purse. “Look what I stole.” Sarah looks inside to see a fresh pack of Marlboro cigarettes.

Sarah was impressed. “Unreal.” They turn their attention back to the Greenhills when they notice Hayley and Vicky walking toward the toilet blocks. Maybe they could use the ciggies to good use, so Ashlee and Sarah started following them. 

They stopped just outside the opening as they could hear the girls talking. 

“How’s Pete?” That was Hayley’s voice.

Next was Vicky. “He’s not even talking.”

“Cheer him up then,” Hayley is suggesting as Ashlee and Sarah decide to walk in. Hayley stops playing around with her red hair as she sees the two girls in the mirror. Both her and Vicky turn to look at Ashlee and Sarah, who just stare back wide-eyed and suddenly mute, as they had not planned on what they were supposed to do now.

Sarah is the first to break the silence. “Hi.” 

Hayley and Vicky continue to stare blankly as if she had spoken another language, clearly disgusted because why the fuck are they here, in their presence?

Sarah remembers the ciggies. “Want a smoke?”

Ashlee holds her arm out in a dramatic gesture and opens the pack. “It’s your international passport to – “

“Shut up and give us one,” Hayley cuts her off while grabbing two cigarettes. Ashlee and Sarah both remain silent as she walks out, Vicky following behind who grabs two for herself. 

“Molls.”

Ashlee and Sarah both stare in astonishment. That was the most interaction they got from anyone in the Greenhills ever. It was a start. 

\---

Pete was lost in his thoughts as Brendon offered the bottle of white wine he was drinking. “Round of vino?”

Pete lets out a deep sigh as he grabs the bottle from Brendon and takes a big swig. It usually took a couple of joints to help him loosen and open up, but tonight, he wasn’t feeling it. It was like the energy had been sucked out of him from staying in his house for too long because of how lifeless it was, even though it was lived in. 

Pete looks over to where Vicky is talking to Hayley. They catch each other’s eyes and Vicky tries to give him one of her seductive smiles but it falls flat when Pete doesn’t smile back. 

Brendon has noticed how quiet he’s been so far. “So you gonna talk tonight?” 

Pete turns away from Vicky to Brendon. “Piss off,” he says as he gives the wine back to his mate. 

Brendon seems happy with that response when he smiles. “That’s better, just takes a bit of practise.” He takes a swig for himself. 

“Come on, let’s go to the beach.”

“Trick, no.”

Both boys turn to see Patrick with his girlfriend Ashley-with-a-‘y’ (or Halsey, as she called herself), backed into a car. Halsey is trying to push him away but Patrick’s just laughing, refusing to give up his need to get off. 

“Just a quicky.”

“Trick, stop it!” Halsey finally pushes him away and tries to leave, but Patrick keeps persisting as he hauls her up by the hips. “TRICK, STOP!”

Everyone is now watching the scene happen in front of them, with Halsey shouting to get down and kicking her legs out, but Patrick still has a firm grip on her. No one is intervening; they’re all too stoned to do anything so they just laugh. 

“Who’s that?” Ashlee asks as she and Sarah are watching the commotion happening from the balcony of the club. 

“I think that’s Ashley-with-a-‘y’. Halsey,” Sarah clarifies.

“Isn’t she supposed to be smart?”

Sarah shrugs her shoulders. “Maybe, she’s not that smart if she’s with Trick though.”

“Hmm,” Ashlee responds with as they snack on snake lollies, watching as Patrick carries Halsey away and her yelling from the top of her lungs.

\--

Pete and Vicky had left the club an hour ago and now were at the headland, where the entire town of Cronulla was stretched along the coast and the streetlights make up for the starless sky. The roar of the ocean filled the void between the two as Pete was throwing rocks and Vicky was trying to think of something to pull her boyfriend out of his daze.

“Do you like my jeans? Ace huh?” Vicky asks and Pete looks over. It’s working, so Vicky continues the story. “Five finger discount. God, I was packing death. I put them on in the change room and I walk out, and this security guard follows me all the way to the front and I’m thinking ‘I’m so dead’. But nah,” she huffs a little and cocks her hip slightly. “He was only checking out my arse.”

Pete looks down at her jeans. The light blue denim is tight around her hips and thighs and then it flares past her knees. He nods. “Yeah, they’re nice.”

Fifteen minutes later, Vicky is on her knees and her mouth is wrapped around Pete’s cock, while Pete is threading his fingers through her hair as he just stares at the night sky.

“Do you ever watch clouds float by and think, ‘can’t believe you’re full of rain’?”

Vicky lets go of his dick with a slick ‘pop’ because she’s getting tired of this now. “Are you gonna finish or what? My jaw’s killing me.”

“Sorry, yeah,” Pete apologises and his dick is warm again. Vicky keeps sucking hard and Pete doesn’t tear his eyes away from the pitch-blackness above him even when he comes in her mouth.

\---

The drive home was dead quiet.

Joe had flicked through the radio stations and landed on one that was playing jazz, to try and fill the void of silence inside the car. It only lasted about five seconds before Tina turned off the music, deciding that the rumble of the tyres on the road was better for white noise. 

Joe tries to catch his wife’s eye but she’s already looking out her window in the passenger seat. He knows why Tina is upset with him, but small talk with lots of people isn’t something that Joe is the best at. He prefers keeping to himself most of the time, even if it makes him look like a snob.

“I think I saw a –“

“Shut up.” Ashlee does not want to hear what David has to say.

“You shut up,” he tries to argue back.

“You’re such an idiot.”

“Just making conversation.”

It’s silent again.

Tina keeps looking out the window. Tonight, she just wanted to not be Tina Simpson the Principal, because that’s who she was for six hours a day, five days a week. She wanted to lower the shield of authority and just have fun, socialise with people that weren’t students or the parents of those students. And it did work for a small moment. 

However, Joe couldn’t play pretend for a few hours, wasn’t able to come out of his introvert shell. Tina loves her husband, but it was almost irritating. 

“You’re close to the gutter.”

“I’m fine,” Joe deadpans. 

From the backseat, David asks Ashlee, “Why’d you drop Ben?”

Ashlee whips her head around because she does not want to have this conversation at all. “David, I’m warning you.”

But he still goes on whining. “He used to always give me a Red Skin, and then I just saw him and he Chinese burned m. Look –“

Ashlee rolls her eyes and thumps David on his thigh, causing him to yell out.

“OW! Mum, she hit me!”

“He’s being an idiot.”

David pushes his sister at that retort and instantly it’s turned into a hitting-and-shoving competition. “Enough!” Joe attempts to control his children but it’s obviously not working as they’ve now got a hand in each other’s hair, grunting in pain. Joe takes his attention off the road to smack both of them on their legs. “Settle down or you’ll walk home!”

Ashlee and David stop fighting, but not without giving each other the death stare before turning back to their windows.

“Might be safer if we did,” Tina remarks with sarcasm dripping in her voice. 

It’s silent again for the rest of the way.

\---

The drive home was quite eventful. 

It was easy to tell that Roger and Pam had a wonderful night as they were laughing and singing together, even if it was evident that the both of them were clearly drunk. 

Pam turns her head to the backseat where her daughter was sitting. “Was it a good night sweetheart? Kiss any boys?”

“Mum,” Sarah groans as she rolls her eyes, but smiles at her mum nonetheless. 

“Camptown ladies sing-a dis-a song,” Roger continues to sing and Pam is in hysterics again because he got it absolutely wrong. 

“No no. It’s, ‘The Camptown ladies sing this song, doodah doodah’.”

The two adults continue to bellow out the Camptown Races song as Roger turns left onto the next street, however he turns the steering wheel a little too sharply, which causes the car’s front wheels to jump the kerb and the whole family violently jerks forward as the car comes to a stop on a grassy hill. 

“Dad!” Sarah yells out, but her parents seem unphased. 

“Well,” Roger concludes as he looks out his window. “I think it’s possible that I’m too drunk to drive.”

Pam bursts out laughing again, which in turn makes Roger laugh with her. “I certainly am.”

“Are you alright back there, darl?” Roger asks Sarah as she stares at the sight of her parents in disbelief, wondering how they just brushed off the fear of a near car accident. 

Suddenly, Pam smacks her husband on the arm. “Hey I’ve got an idea, follow me.”

Both parents exit the car, their daughter still sitting in the backseat as she watches them run up the hill through the windscreen. Sarah doesn’t know what they’re up to and who knows what they could do in their drunken state, so she bolts out and chases after them.

Sarah slows down as she sees her mum and dad run onto the beach, Pam’s dress halfway off her body and Roger starting to unbutton his pants, his shirt already discarded on the sand. She quickly figures out what’s going to happen next.

“No you can’t!” Sarah yells out from the steps of the surf club, the lights illuminating the water in front of them. 

“Oh you young people, you’re so conservative!” Pam’s dress is now fully off, leaving her in her underwear, which she is quickly pulling off her legs. 

“COME ON!!” Roger screams to his wife, completely naked, as he runs towards the icy cold water and Pam follows suit once she is exposed too. 

Sarah just sits on the steps, watching her parents skinny-dipping with no care in the world. “How embarrassing,” she mutters to herself, looking over her shoulder to see if anyone else is watching the scene in front of her.

Sarah turns her attention back to the beach and as she sees her dad do a handstand, she can’t do anything but smile at their silliness. They’re kind, carefree – even if it’s borderline embarrassing - and they just love life. Sarah loves her family, so she keeps an eye on both parents to make sure they don’t drown from having too much fun. 

\---

Everyday after school the following week, it was becoming easier for Ashlee and Sarah to secure their seat on the bus in close proximity to the Greenhills. A few of the girls were starting to acknowledge their presence with small grins. Hayley had even spoken three words to Ashlee, even if those words were, “Shut up, moll.” Despite the oranges still getting thrown at their heads, it was progress. 

On a hot Friday afternoon, the two girls were basking by Sarah’s pool in their bikinis, with Ashlee listening to Sarah reading from Dolly magazine while adorning her fingers with Cheezels, munching on them one by one. 

“10 Ways To Tell If Your Man Is Cheating On You.” A very important article, so Ashlee listens in. 

“One, he starts going to the gym.” Very interesting.

“Two, he buys a new hairpiece.” A dead give away.

“Three, he’s got scratches on his back and lipstick on his thingy.”

Ashlee turns her attention to Sarah and narrows her eyes. “Does not say that,” she accuses while cracking a smile, Sarah confirming her joke with a giggle of her own before eating another Cheezel from her finger.

There’s a comfortable silence as they soak in the sun, then an idea pop in Ashlee’s head. “You should wear your crochet bikini tomorrow.”

The two were planning to go to the beach tomorrow, specifically where the Greenhills hang around. If they wanted to be in the gang, they had to make an impression somehow. Sarah thinks on Ashlee’s idea and smiles. “Sure will. And won’t the Greenhills boys love it,” she agrees as she pushes up her breasts. 

“They’ll swoon,” Ashlee says as another idea forms. “Wish we had a horse so we could ride up, make a grand entrance.”

Sarah lets out a laugh. “It’ll look like a tampon ad.”

“Exactly.” Ashlee lets out a sigh as she taps her fingers together like those villains on TV. “Alas, our natural beauty will have to be enough.”

Sarah widens her eyes as she stares at Ashlee beside her, looking so confident about this plan they have. “Oh my god.”

It’s silent only for a second and suddenly Ashlee lets out a squeal. Sarah also gives a squeal for herself. They go back and forth before the both of them burst out into laughter. It’s amazing that they’re able to act silly and goofy one day and the next they’re confiding one another with their deepest secrets. Both Ashlee and Sarah like this dynamic, it’s what makes them enjoy each other’s company. 

“Sarah! Don’t get sunburnt again, will you?” Pam calls from inside the house.

“We’re sitting in the shade!” Sarah yells back. “And it’s almost all peeled off anyway. I’m fine again.” Another Cheezel enters her mouth.

\---

Pete is walking to his room as he hears the rumble of his dad’s convertible reversing into the garage. He stops in his tracks as Pete watches his father, fumbling with a bouquet when exiting the driver’s seat. 

Peter spots his son at the door. “Pete! How are you mate?”

“Hey Dad,” Pete greets back, still staring at the flowers, wondering what they’re for. 

“Bought some Chin takeaway, can you grab it out of the car?”

Pete continues to watch his dad as he enters the house, wondering why Peter would be bringing home dinner if he knew his wife would already be cooking. Pete brushes that thought away and as he goes to collect the brown paper bag still sitting on the passenger seat, something catches his eye. 

Pete ignores the food as he examines the ashtray. It’s no secret that his dad is a smoker, it’s actually quite acceptable, but it’s one particular butt that has all of Pete’s attention. He picks it up and brings it closer to his face to confirm what it is. 

Half of the butt is coated in red lipstick. 

Suddenly, it all clicks into place. The overnight stays in the city, the food, the flowers. 

Pete feels a small spark of anger igniting, but he suppresses it down as he puts the butt back in the tray and grabbing the warm bag, slamming the car door. As he walks along the hallway towards the kitchen, he can hear Peter with Dale, keeping up his act as he showers her with compliments. 

“Sometimes, I forget how beautiful you are. And then, wow,” he says with admiration.

Dale is obviously falling for this as she laughs off the comment. “Stop it.”

“I can’t. I see you and I just can’t.”

It’s gone quiet when Pete decides to present himself. His parents are in the middle of a sweet kiss as he places the food on the counter. “Dad got Chinese.”

Peter is the first to break apart. “And flowers and wine,” he acknowledges the rest of his gifts as Dale just gasps with surprise, because to her, this was seen as a romantic gesture. 

Pete knows this better as a cover up to his recent infidelity.

“Mum was cooking dinner,” Pete argues back. 

“Yeah and now she’s not. So let’s sit down, and eat,” Peter responds back as he goes to sit at the dining table. 

“She spent the last hour cooking and –“

“It’s fine, I feel like Chinese,” Dale says to calm her son as she starts to put away the prepped vegetables into Tupperware. “This will keep.”

Pete wants to defend his mum some more, but he knows she’s blinded by her husband’s supposed faithfulness and will stand by him. He also knows that he can’t give away his knowledge of his father’s recent ‘activities’ without raising some suspicions. 

So, he does the next best thing and joins his parents at the table. Dinner was going really well so far. Pete does like it when they eat together because he gets to listen to his dad’s horror stories at the clinic. He’s in the middle of one right now, plates and takeaway containers all empty and all three of them laughing their heads off. 

Peter continues the story. “And I swear to God. He opens his mouth, and there are fleas in there.”

Pete gasps in fascination. “He didn’t.”

“Except they weren’t fleas, you know what they were?”

“Termites,” Pete interrupts his dad before he can say the answer. “He had wooden fillings.”

Peter just looks at his son with a hint of disdain. “Well that’s right smartarse, they were termites,” he deadpans, the smile wiped clean off his face. 

“Well that’s icky isn’t it?” Dale tries to keep up the livelihood, but it’s too late. The damage is done. No one is laughing or smiling anymore, the silence uncomfortable among the family. 

Peter is the first to break it. “Well go on Pete, clean up you lazy prick.”

Pete just gives him a look of disbelief before sitting up and carrying away his plate. He’s a little disappointed that his mum didn’t do anything to stand up for her son, or talk some reason in her husband. Except it seems that she’s loyal to Peter first, Pete second. 

Pete can hear his mum from the kitchen. “You look tired sweetheart. You work so hard I thought, maybe we could go away on holiday? Just a week.”

There’s a pause, which means Peter is mulling over his thoughts for any excuse to not go. Pete thinks to himself that this may be a good time to call out on his bullshit without giving too much suspicion. 

“Can’t do it, love.” That’s his cue. Pete holds his dirty dinner plate over the kitchen sink. “You know I wish I could, but I actually have to go to a conference in Terrigal next month.”

Bullshit!

Pete drops the plate and the clatter of cutlery and shattered porcelain is echoed through the house. 

There’s a beat of silence before Dale speaks again. “I could come.” God, she sounds so hopeful. 

“No no, boring for you love. Wouldn’t subject you to it.” That’s his dad again and Pete rolls his eyes at that as he picks up a wine glass left on the counter. “I’ll have a shower.” He’s still holding the glass as the sound of Peter’s footsteps fade away towards the bathroom. 

“Nice of your dad to bring food.”

Bullshit!

Glass shatters all across the kitchen floor.

\---

It’s a sweltering Saturday morning as Ashlee and Sarah make the trek to the beach from Sarah’s house. The humidity was making everything seem sticky, the jeans cladding both girls’ legs not helping them cool down. 

“It’s so hot,” Ashlee is complaining. “I’m gonna get bad BO.”

Sarah lets out a little chuckle. “You will. I don’t sweat I perspire.”

Ashlee attempts a lame comeback. “Me too. Droplets of perfume mostly.”

“Oh how lovely for you.” Sarah lets a frustrated sigh as she uses her shirt as a fan. “Crap it’s hot! I think I’m gonna melt.”

“Melt into Billie Joe Armstrong’s arms,” Ashlee sings, playfully bumping Sarah’s shoulder, but she knows that her friend has a point. “Seriously, we cannot walk an hour in this. Maybe we should stay home today, swim in the pool, come back next week.”

Sarah thinks this over. It does sound appealing. “We could make Anzacs.” She turns her head and what she sees coming makes her eyes widen. “Shit.”

Ashlee follows her gaze and she’s just as surprised as Sarah when she spots the dark blue panel van, knowing exactly whom that car belongs to. “It’s him.”

“Billie Joe Armstrong’s bloody panel van.”

At that moment, they can see Billie with his bleach-blonde hair, adorned with sunnies and sipping a milkshake as he drives towards the beach, the music from the radio blasting out the window and his surfboard strapped to the roof.

“It’s a sign!” Ashlee exclaims. 

“Of what?”

“That we’re gonna get in.”

Sarah scoffs. “Of course we are. Women like us don’t fall off trees.”

“If they did, then they would sit under the trees all day waiting.”

Sarah looks to Ashlee, a growing smile forming on her lips as if this really was a sign from the universe that they could potentially be one of the Greenhills. 

Sarah returns the smile and they start running down the street screaming. 

\---

Pete is in the garage prepping his board for the beach with fresh wax when his dad stumbles down the driveway, sweating all over and puffed from his morning run. 

“You alright Dad?” Pete asks with a cheeky grin. “Looking a bit red.”

Peter is bent over with his hands on his knees and still trying to catch his breath when he looks up to his son. “I’d outrun you any day, smartarse.”

Pete lets out a little chuckle as he starts carrying the board, a beautiful and sturdy red and yellow fish, under his arm. “See ya.” He begins his journey to the beach – 

“Where are you going?”

Pete stops in his tracks at his dad’s harsh tone, implying that he may have taken his comment the wrong way. “Dad I was joking,” he reassures, a little uncertainty in his voice now. 

But Peter’s not worried about that. “There’s stuff to do around here,” he says, still puffing and points in the roof’s direction. “Those gutters need clearing out.”

“I’ll do ‘em this arvo,” Pete dismisses before making his way to the beach again – 

“Put the board back!” 

Pete turns to face his dad again at that harsher tone, scared because he knows he’s pissed now. As Peter approaches him, Pete looks away, unable to look his father in the eye, as he gets up close to his face. 

Pete decided to push him. “No.”

A dull blow is rewarded as Peter smacks him from behind his head. No noise comes out of his mouth but Pete’s holding back tears as his father continues to degrade him, his index finger pointing in his face.

“You need to extract the smartarse, and dump it off a cliff somewhere. You got me?”  
Pete continues to avoid his father’s gaze as he suppresses his rising emotions. “Yes?”

“Yes Dad,” Pete finally answers, his voice turning shaky. 

Peter seems satisfied. “Ok,” he says, and that’s Pete’s cue to turn back towards the garage. 

He couldn’t understand his dad sometimes. It was just like last night, when Peter had suddenly switched from being the family man, laughing and smiling, until one comment pisses him off and he goes the rest of the night straight-faced. It was frustrating and hurtful.

Pete has rested his board against the back wall when suddenly, “Nah mate,” Peter is saying behind him. “Do them this arvo. You go and surf, I hear there’s a pretty good swell.” Pete stands in his spot in disbelief and refuses to look at his dad when he approaches him again. “Just, you know, don’t pull shit with me all the time,” Peter concludes their conversation, but not without a couple of taps on Pete’s cheek before he enters the house. 

Pete can’t be in his house anymore, so he snatches his board and finally makes his way to the beach, letting out the tears and sniffles. 

\---

The two girls have finally made it to the beach, but they still have a long way to go to get to their destination.

“Only two miles to go,” Ashlee comments, but Sarah doesn’t say anything back because she suddenly spot two boys, specifically Bankies, walking up to them and following from behind. 

“Hey, how you doin’?” The first one asks, an Italian looking boy. 

“Fine”, Ashlee bluntly says, the two continuing to walk. 

He tries again. “Do you wanna go swimming with us?”

“Politely declined.”

The second boy speaks, “What, are you being a smartarse?”

Sarah decides to retort back. “You smell like a freeway, are you from Bankstown?”

“Fat arse moll,” the first boy yells, which riles Sarah up.

“Rack off, you bloody Westie wog!”

“I don’t care if you’ve got a fat arse, I’d still root you.”

“ Oh piss off, or we’ll get Billie Joe Armstrong and our guys to bash the shit out of youse!” Ashlee hurls back, which causes the Bankies to finally stop following them. She gives Sarah a look and they both start running onto the sand to avoid the boys coming back, laughing as they do. 

Half an hour and many piggybacks later, the girls had reached the Greenhills, just in time to see the boys coming in from the water. They could make out each one; Billie was leading the pack, Pete talking with Patrick and Brendon following close behind the two. As the rest of the boys followed suit, Sarah noticed something was missing. 

“No girls?”

This didn’t bother Ashlee. “Let’s go sit near them.”

With a silent agreement, they continued walking, getting closer and closer. However, as if on cue, the pounding of hooves came from behind and all of a sudden, Vicky was circling them, riding her horse bareback and wearing only her bikini. Three other girls rode past them and were dismounting their own horses when Vicky spoke. 

“Where are you two going?”

“Hi Vicky,” Ashlee greets, giving Vicky her best smile. 

“We’re just gonna sunbake,” Sarah adds on.

Vicky gives them a look to say ‘as if’, and points to a patch of sand. “Over there.”

Both girls obey Vicky at once and they walk a few metres away from the group. They’re about to lay their towels down when – 

“Further!”

Ashlee and Sarah walk a few metres more and Vicky trots away to join the rest of the Greenhills, seeming content with their distance. They finally get to lay their towels down. 

“We’re pretty close,” Ashlee remarks, happy with what they’ve achieved.

“Yeah,” is all Sarah says as both girls sit down on their towels. 

“She could’ve got all the horses together and trampled us if she wanted to.”

“Exactly.” Sarah and Ashlee watch as the boys hoe into their meat pies and pass around Polly Waffles, their girlfriends draping towels over their shoulders to dry off. “Such spunks.”

Ashlee continues to admire, hoping that maybe one day, that could be them. “So cool.”

\---

“And when I’m rooting her, I swear she made this sound like a dolphin,” Billie then makes a high-pitched, stunted moaning sound that mimics a dolphin call. 

Both Brendon and Patrick laugh at this, with Patrick choking on smoke from his makeshift bong, as Billie is telling his story about having sex with Melanie. Or was it Meagan? No, Brendon’s with Meagan, so it must be Melanie. Who knows? Pete’s not paying attention right now. 

“Which is weird,” Patrick comments with a raspy voice caused by the weed, “ ‘cause you’d think she’d sound like a moll.”

Billie and Brendon have a little chuckle at that as Patrick holds out the plastic bottle for any of them to have a smoke.

Brendon’s the one to grab it as he recalls a story. “I had Hayley once.” He smiles at the memory. “Total dead root. She was just lying there like she was dead and I was like, ‘Can you move your eyes a bit so I don’t have to call for an ambo?’”

This earns a laugh from both Patrick and Billie as Brendon takes a hit from the bong. 

Pete would say something to him about making fun of dead people, but really it would just be contradictory because he’s done it too. It’s what they do everyday. Once the sun has set and all the girls have gone home, the boys will then share stories of the girls they fuck, whether it be how they dress, whose breasts are bigger than whose or who gives the best handjob. 

It’s a sick game of show-and-tell. The relationships among the gang aren’t real. There’s no emotional connections, no shared feelings, no consideration for the other person. It is just sex. 

“Yeah, I’d root a dead girl. She wouldn’t even have to be warm.”

“You’re sick,” Brendon laughs, but Pete remains silent. Even in his daze, Pete is sickened by and frustrated with Patrick right now. He’s too caught up in his mind right now.

Billie notices that he hasn’t contributed anything. “Hey Pete,” he says to try and catch his attention. “How about Vicky?”

“What?” Pete asks, a little annoyed. 

“Yeah, go on. Spill,” Patrick encourages, poking Pete with his toe, which Pete swats away. He really doesn’t feel up to this today. 

However, Brendon is pushing him. “She’s a screamer, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she looks like she’s begging for it.”

Ok. That’s it. 

Pete smiles and stands abruptly from the boot of Billie’s panel van and turns to face Patrick. “Aw mate, she fucking screams like she’s being stabbed.” He faces the rest of the boys. “She goes off like a landmine and she’s wet like the Pacific, and after we root she runs to get me a Chiko roll which she feeds to me by hand! Happy?!” The three boys aren’t smiling anymore, but Pete doesn’t care. He needs to get away. “You’re a bunch of dickheads, I’m going back out.”

Pete snatches his board form where it’s laying on the grass and runs back towards the beach. He can hear Billie calling out for him, but he doesn’t give a shit right now. 

What Pete needs is to do is get back to the sanctuary. He needs to feel the cold ocean wash over his face, to freeze the thoughts that overload his head. He needs to stop thinking about his cheating father or his timid mother. Riding the waves helps him to be free. It seems to be the only place that he can be himself.

Once he’s paddled out back, he waits.


	2. He Led You In By The Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!!
> 
> After five and a half months, I finally get the second instalment done. I actually got the first third of this chapter written back in June, until I lost some motivation and left it for weeks. It's funny that in a time when we have so much time to do things, we don't want to do anything. 
> 
> Also, a big thank you to those who have read this, it means a lot to me as a first time fanfic writer.
> 
> Anyways, here's chapter two. There's not much slang in here, and I feel it's self explanatory when there is. But here's a few of them:
> 
> Perv - pervert  
> Dob - telling someone about another's wrongdoings, very common among siblings  
> Darl - darling  
> Go round - asking someone to be their boyfriend/girlfriend

As soon as Pete sees the next wave approaching, he paddles hard.

He’s been surfing since sunrise this morning before school, and the ocean has been treating him well. With the early morning sun doing little to warm his slightly shivering body and the saltwater coating his palate, it doesn’t deter Pete from enjoying the waves that have been created by the swell. 

The water picks him up and instantly Pete pushes himself upwards to stand up. The drop in always increases his heart rate because the wrong foot placement can send him nose diving, but once Pete is picking up speed as he rides the face he’s unstoppable. He travels even faster as he scoops the water with his hand, manoeuvring along the face and then carving to finish his ride as the rest of the wave breaks. 

Pete rides the white water into shore and he sees a man watching him from the sand. As Pete carries his board and walks up the slight slope, he can see that the man is his dad, his shirt sticking to his torso and a little bit of colour to his cheeks. 

“Hey,” Pete greets him, receiving a small nod as he stands next to his dad as they both look out to the horizon. It’s a beautiful morning with not a single cloud to be seen and the ocean is glistening with gold as it reflects the sunlight beaming off it. They stand together in silence as they watch the waves form and break after each other. 

“You look great out there,” Peter says, and Pete grins at the compliment. There’s a beat before Peter pats his son on the shoulder and continues his run. Pete watches him leave and he decides that one more wave couldn’t hurt. 

—

Ashlee and David are standing at the bus stop, waiting for their bus to arrive. 

Ashlee is feeling a little nervous this morning. She has a test today, and it doesn’t help that she did little to no study for it. Fortunately, she has a trick up her sleeve. Or in this case, up her skirt. Ashlee had written some notes on her leg, the ink only just peeking under the hem if it was lifted up. She knew that this was cheating and that she would be in a whole load of trouble with her mum if she was caught, but hopefully this could be another stepping stone to –

“Man puts penis in woman’s vagina.”

Ashlee is ripped from her thoughts at that exclamation and she whips her head around to see her brother looking annoyingly smug. “What?”

David is still smiling as he turns to face Ashlee. “I read that book you have.”

“What book?”

“What’s Happening To Me?”

Ashlee rolls her eyes in disgust and she turns to face the street. God, she hated her brother. She was going to have to yell at him later for not only going into her room, but also for snooping through her belongings, especially the puberty book her mum gifted her. 

Ashlee hoped that nothing else would come out of his mouth, except it was only wishful thinking. 

David continues on. “Man puts penis in woman’s vagina.”

“Get lost.”

“He moves it up and down.”

Ashlee’s livid now. “Can you shut up?!”

“This creates friction and this causes him to ejaculate.”

Luckily, the school bus has chosen this exact time to come to a halt in front of them. Once the door opens, Ashlee is on the bus, down the aisle and seated next to Sarah in a matter of seconds just to get as far away as possible from David explaining the birds and the bees. 

As the bus travels further down the street, the two girls look over their shoulders to observe the commotion happening at the very back of the bus. They watch as Hayley and Vicky share a cigarette, the sunlight reflecting from the rear window encompassing Hayley’s hair as she blows out smoke. They observe as Trohman wraps his arms around Vicky and sends her flying into his lap, causing her to let out a squeal. They look on as the rest of the Greenhills howl and cheer as Vicky grinds in Joe’s lap, who is also grinding in Halsey’s lap. The other students on the bus are watching the scene as well, and the driver does nothing to stop them. 

“What’s that?”

Ashlee turns her attention to Sarah who’s looking at the thigh littered with black pen. “Science test.”

Sarah widens her eyes in realisation of what her friend intends to do. “But you’ll get busted. You can see it.”

“Yeah, I want it to show a bit,” Ashlee responds without any fear tainting her voice. She looks up to Sarah who has concern written all over her face. “Hayley does it all the time.”

They turn their attention back to Hayley who’s in conversation with Meagan. “Yeah, right,” Sarah says, as if it’s obvious that Hayley sometimes cheats on tests. Sarah decides then and there that she’ll go along with the plan as well, so she grabs a pen and starts copying the same notes that Ashlee has on her leg. 

“I can’t believe you said that!” 

Sarah looks up from her writing and she sees Ashlee’s brother getting pushed by a girl at the front of the bus. 

She nudges Ashlee in the arm. “David’s getting bullied.”

Ashlee looks in Sarah’s direction and sees him yelling out “Ow” and pushing the girl seated next to him as well. She really doesn’t want to deal with this, especially with what happened at the bus stop, but she gets up from her seat anyway and starts walking towards the pair as the girl exclaims, “Get away from me.”

“What’s going on?” Ashlee asks bluntly. 

David replies, “I don’t know, she’s a weirdo.”

“He told me he was going to put his penis in my vagina.”

Ashlee rolls her eyes at this clarification. “He doesn’t know what he talking about.”

“Yeah I do,” David whines but Ashlee isn’t having it.

“Just shut up and leave her alone, alright?”

“And yours looked better when it looked like a bum.”

Ashlee fixes a death stare towards her little shit of a brother. “I hate you,” she hisses before turning back to join Sarah. God, David was annoying. Just so fucking – 

“Hey!” Ashlee looks up to see Hayley standing from her seat, her eyes focused on her skirt. “Wipe it off, you slack bitch.”

Ashlee looks down towards her right thigh that shows off her notes and looks back to Hayley, narrowing her eyes. She doesn’t want to deal with her right now. “Get lost.”

“I said wipe it off!” Hayley may be small in height but her powerful voice and demeanour make her the fiercest out of all the Greenhills girls. “Or I’ll make ya!”

Ashlee would be intimidated by her any other day, but all she does is scoff. “So make me.”

Hayley’s face smooths over and her eyes are fixed on Ashlee as she walks down the aisle, clearly pissed that someone has the audacity the challenge her. The rest of the gang have risen from their seats as well, gathering around Hayley for support and chanting, “Cat fight! Cat fight! Cat fight! Cat fight!”

The girls are silent, none of them breaking eye contact until Hayley’s the first to speak. “What’re you standing there for?”

Ashlee keeps her eyes focused on Hayley as she pulls her shoulders back, making herself taller. “You don’t own the bus.”

A fist grabs one of her braids and in the blink of an eye, Ashlee’s thrown to the floor and Hayley is on top of her. There’s not a lot of room to move around, but everyone who’s watching don’t care as they cheer on the two girls slapping each other and pulling each other’s red hair. 

Ashlee gets a grip on Hayley’s shoulder and is able to flip each other over, knocking Hayley’s head on the seat next to them in the process. Now Ashlee’s straddling her hips, but she receives a sharp sting on the cheek as Hayley slaps her in the face. Ashlee retaliates and shoves her own hand into Hayley’s face and the crowd behind them keep yelling and cheering in favour of their leader. 

The bus driver slams his foot on the brake, causing the bus the stop abruptly. All the passengers are violently thrust forward, including Ashlee who falls on top of Hayley’s body. The shouting has died down in an instant as the driver stands up the face the back of the bus. 

“Get in your seats! Once you’re all seated, we’ll move!”

Ashlee and Hayley move from lying on the floor to kneeling, keeping a grip on each other’s hair. “Let go!” Hayley commands, as if she expects Ashlee to obey. Ashlee, however, doesn’t loosen her grip. She keeps her gaze focused on Hayley, blue eyes locked on hazel eyes. The crowd is silent, waiting to see who will be the first one to let go. 

In the end, Hayley’s the first one to release, Ashlee following suit just as quickly. They both stand to their feet and walk back to their respective seats. The Greenhills whistle and cheer for Hayley as she joins her group, with Patrick yelling out a, “Nice one, Hayley.”

Ashlee sits back down next to Sarah who whispers, “You showed her, Ash.”

And Ashlee can’t hold back the smirk that forms on her lips.

—

The room was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. 

The science test was halfway done and so far, Ashlee had answered as many questions as she could without cheating. She couldn’t do it right now because Mr Candy was walking along the classroom walls, trying to catch anyone in the act. However, as soon as he sat down at his desk, Ashlee looked over to Sarah and gave a small nod. 

Ashlee averted her eyes down to her skirt, moving her arm that was covering the answers just slightly to reveal some of the ink. 

Adenine always binds with thymine and guanine always binds with cytosine.

Ashlee fills in the blank space with the answer and quickly looks up to the front of the classroom. Mr Candy is still looking out the window, so that was lucky. From the corner of her eye, Ashlee can see Sarah discreetly looking down as well. So far so good.

She looks down again. 

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Ashlee fills in the blank under the question about Newton’s Laws of Motion and darts her eyes to the front again. The teacher is looking at a paper on his desk and Ashlee breathes a quiet sigh of relief.

She tries again.

The two supercontinents that formed Pangaea were called - 

“Sarah Orzechowski and Ashlee Simpson!” Ashlee’s head shoots up at the sound of her name. She turns to Sarah who wears the same scared expression on her face. “Stand up.”

A collection of ‘Ooh’s erupts among the students as the two girls slowly stand simultaneously. 

“Pull up your skirts.”

The room is filled with laughter and someone calls the teacher out for being a perv. 

“You heard what I said,” Mr Candy defends himself. “And the rest of you get on with your exam.”

He then turns his attention back to Sarah and Ashlee, waiting for them to confess to the cheating. The two girls aren’t budging though, not even a finger has twitched. 

Mr Candy focuses on Ashlee now. “Ashlee?”

She looks him the eye as she lifts up the left side, revealing bare skin. Five seconds pass and Ashlee caves in as she raises her whole skirt to display the thigh covered in black ink. 

“Principal’s office, now!” Mr Candy commands. Ashlee and Sarah walk out with their heads hung low while the whole class teases them, towards the Principal’s office where they know fully well that they’ll receive punishment by cane. 

To their surprise though, neither of them received such punishment. Maybe because it was their first serious offence that all they did get was a stern lecture and a disappointed look on Mrs Grantham’s face as she sent them out to lunch. 

As they walked further away from her door, they couldn’t help themselves but let out a few snickers. 

“Oh my god. My bum was tingling, I was so scared,” Sarah says through giggles.

“I thought we were gonna get caned,” Ashlee confesses.

“Hey.”

Ashlee and Sarah turn their attention to the voice and it’s Melanie Martinez, leaning against the wall as if she was waiting for them this whole time. “Vicky and Hayley want to see you.”

Ashlee and Sarah exchange wide eyes and excited smiles before hurrying to catch up to Melanie, who looks back to make sure that they’re following her. The girls behind her watch as her hair bounces off her back as she walks, one side natural black and the other dyed platinum blonde. Melanie wears her uniform like the rest of the Greenhills girls; shirt tucked into a dark green skirt that’s hitched up so high, it absolutely violates the dress code that no one else follows. Not even Nicole follows the dress code, and she’s a nerd, a dickhead that belongs in South Cronulla. 

Speaking of Nicole, the girls see her exiting the girl’s bathroom with her head hung low and shoulders hunched, but they don’t give her a second look as Melanie brings them inside to Hayley and Vicky, who are accompanied by Halsey and Meagan and are already starting fresh cigarettes. 

Ashlee and Sarah stand where they are as Hayley gives them a once-over before asking in a serious manner, “Did you dob?”

Ashlee gives a light scoff. “Nah.”

“Bullshit.” Hayley gives them another look to see if they’re lying. 

“Did she ask you?” Vicky asks.

“Yeah,” Ashlee says with a proud smile. 

Sarah backs her up. “Ashlee said she saw Marcia do it on the Brady Bunch.”

Hayley gives Vicky a look of disbelief, as if Mrs Grantham actually bought that lie. Slowly, but surely, a small grin forms on their faces, almost impressed, as Vicky tosses her pack for Ashlee to catch, which she does. 

Ashlee is a little shocked, but she doesn’t show it as she quickly pulls a ciggy out for Sarah before grabbing one for herself. 

It’s silent before Sarah tries to impress them again. “Though I was gonna piss myself laughing.”

“Mrs Grantham said we were a shame and a disgrace,” Ashlee continues on as she brings her cigarette to her lips.

Vicky lets out a little chuckle. “She’s a dead shit.”

All the girls agree as they light up, contaminating the bathroom air with nicotine through the rest of lunch. 

The rush of excitement between Ashlee and Sarah is still there until the final bell.

“Should we follow them down?” Ashlee suggests as they watch the girls trailing behind the boys down the school steps and towards the direction of the Greenhills hangout. 

“I guess,” Sarah says, and they start descending the stairs, hoping to catch one of the girls trailing behind. 

“Melanie!” Ashlee calls out, the former turning around to the sound of her name. “You going down to the Pipes?”

“Yeah,” Melanie says with a grin as she waits for the two girls to catch up before walking again. Melanie seemed nice when they were all in the bathroom and she was definitely the most unique. Even the gap in her teeth didn’t deter her beauty. 

“Reckon Mr Candy was checking you out.”

Ashlee widened her eyes in surprise to Melanie’s comment. “No way.”

Melanie gives a small shrug. “That’s what Vicky said.”

At that moment, Hayley approaches them as Melanie starts to jog towards the rest of the Greenhills. 

“You can’t come to the Pipes,” she says bluntly, which leaves Ashlee and Sarah confused. They thought that sharing cigarettes in the toilets was a welcoming gesture into the gang. They lied about the cheating incident to impress them, to impress Hayley. “Just because you cheated, doesn’t make you one of us.”

Ashlee attempts to defend herself. “We weren’t going to the Pipes anyway.”

“We were going to the shops,” Sarah chimes in.

Hayley rolls her eyes at them. “You chics are so lame,” she sighs before walking away to join the others, leaving the two girls dumbfounded and a little pissed off. 

“She’s such a bitch,” Ashlee remarks.

Sarah continues to complain. “Can’t believe we didn’t dob on her.”

“What are we gonna do now?” All Sarah does is shrug and starts heading towards the bus stop. Ashlee lets out a sigh of frustration; they’d have to think of something else. “Far out.”

—

Sarah is bored. Extremely bored. 

It’s Saturday and all she wanted to do today was sleep in, maybe go to the beach with Ashlee if it was sunny. 

It is sunny, but Sarah isn’t at the beach. Instead, she’s at the local tennis club, slumped in the chair next to her mum as she and her friend Judy focus their attention on the game from the sidelines. 

“Great shot Dale,” Pam cheers on her friend as she strikes the ball perfectly down the court line, and it takes all of Sarah’s energy to let out a bored and frustrated sigh. She can’t believe that she agreed to come. Not that she really had a choice anyway, her mum made her come. Pam had said that she wanted to spend the day together, but from what Sarah can see, her dad’s playing a match between Judy’s husband, Martin, while her mum continues to shout support for Dale Wentz. So much for family time. 

“She’s a shy little thing but she rips it out there doesn’t she?” Sarah is only half-listening to Pam talking to Judy. She doesn’t really know that much about Dale except that she’s Pete Wentz’s mum. 

“Yeah, she is ferocious,” Judy comments before Pam turns her attention back to her daughter.

“Get us a couple of Shandies, will you darl?”

Sarah turns her head to face her mother with a hint of disbelief. “You wanted me to come so I could be your slave?”

“Well two years ago you did everything you could for me.”

Sarah lets out another tired sigh as she turns away. “It’s because I was a kid and I didn’t know any better.”

“Well, you’re still a kid,” Pam counteracts, and turns to face her daughter just in time to see Sarah rolling her eyes at that. “Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

“Yes,” Sarah retorts back, but there’s no malice behind it. “And I’m not a kid and you can’t trap me here.”

‘Ooh, she’s seeing through my evil plan,” Pam teases to her friend beside her as she lets out a chuckle, but Sarah chooses to ignore that. 

“Does that mean I can go over to Ashlee’s?”

“Oh, you two spend your whole lives together.”

“So?” Pam turns to her daughter and gives in as she pulls out five dollars along with a few stray coins from her purse. Sarah swipes the money from the table as she stands from her chair. “I’ll use the twenty cents for the phone.”

“Now that’s the attitude of a teenager!”

“You got it, finally,” Sarah beams at her mother as she walks over to the front desk, feeling a sense of satisfaction as she slips the twenty cents into the coin box before dialling Ashlee’s home phone. She waits for three rings before a voice comes through the handset. 

“Hello?”

“Hi Mrs Simpson, is Ashlee there?” Sarah asks in her sweetest voice. 

There’s a breathy sigh before Tina responds, “Just a moment, Sarah.”

It takes about thirty seconds for Ashlee to say hi, Sarah asking to come over and agreeing to be there in half an hour before Sarah hangs up the phone. As she walks back to the table to collect her purse, she sees two boys approaching the tennis courts on skateboards, tripping over themselves and laughing their heads off. Sarah would recognise them from a mile away with their clumped black hair and wide smiles. Best mates Pete Wentz and Brendon Urie. ‘Shit,’ she mutters to herself, because it would be pretty embarrassing for those spunks to see Sarah here. 

Sarah does her best to leave swiftly, except she’s ends up caught with her dad’s sweaty arm casually draped over shoulder. “What time is it?” Roger announces. 

“Beer o’clock, mate,” Martin jokes before kissing his wife on the cheek and going to the club’s kitchen. 

“Pammy, you up for one?”

“Nah, I think I’ll wait til after my game darling,” Pam says as she starts stretching her triceps.

Sarah can’t be around these adults anymore, so she swipes her purse from the table as she awkwardly announces, “Uh, I’m going now.”

“Bye sweetheart,” Pam calls out as Sarah speed walks to the door, but it’s not quick enough because right at that moment, Pete walks through the door calling for him mum with Brendon trailing behind and standing right at the door, so Sarah just hovers in her spot, waiting for an opening. She looks over and quickly lowers her eyes when she notices Brendon staring at her, so Sarah figures that moving now will be better than being trapped. 

As Sarah walks out the door, Brendon leans forward just a little. “Hi.”

“Hi,” is all Sarah can say, and once Brendon looks back to where Pete is asking his mum for money, she sprints to the bus stop. 

—

“… and it was like, time completely froze.” Sarah is recounting the moment with herself and Brendon as Ashlee listens on with rapt attention and wide eyes. They’re sitting on Ashlee’s bed as music is playing softly in the background. “I couldn’t even move, neither of us could.”

“And did he say anything?”

“Hi.” Sarah blushes and hides her face in her hands as Ashlee cracks up, her face beaming with excitement. “Oh my god, it was so embarrassing.” It’s only when she peaks through her fingers and sees her best friend still laughing that she cracks up too. 

After the laughs die down, Ashlee stands from her bed to grab the Marlboros from her dresser. “I think we should try and hang with the Greenhills again,” she suggests as she slides two cigarettes out of the pack.   
"No way.”

“It’s a sign. He said hello to you,” Ashlee insists as she hands one of the sticks to Sarah and lighting it before bringing the other to her own mouth, mumbling, “And Vicky’s really nice to us, it’s just Hayley.” As Ashlee lights up, she watches as Sarah takes a drag and immediately puffs out the smoke. “Oh my god Sarah, you gotta start doing the drawback.”

Sarah knows this; the two have been practising more often in hopes that it will improve their chances of getting in with the rest of the Greenhills, except it’s hard to hold back the tobacco smoke in your throat when it’s triggering the gag reflex and you end up coughing and spluttering everywhere. “It makes me feel sick.”

“Just do it again,” Ashlee reassures as she takes a drag of her own. “It gets easier, the more you do it the –“

Ashlee stops mid-sentence when she turns to the window to see her brother peeping in, watching them as they smoke while they’re only a hallway away from their parents. Sarah hides her cigarette behind her back in a panic while Ashlee rushes to the window before David can get away. 

“If you dob, you’re dead,” she threatens. 

David ponders this for a second before asking, “What’ll you give me?”

Ashlee just scoffs. “Piss off, David.”

“I’m dobbing.”

Ashlee mentally curses to herself before shouting, “Wait!” Because she knows that David will tell, and there is nothing more worse than being punished by her parents. 

David walks back to the window, not having to ask what it is that he wants in return. She really doesn’t want to do this, but Ashlee reluctantly opens the Marlboros still in her hand, offering them to her wide-eyed brother. “One.”

David takes two, running off before Ashlee can do anything. 

“Come back here, you little shit,” Ashlee half-yells, whispering her curses as to not disrupt her parents in the other room. She looks over to Sarah still seated on her bed and shaking her head in disbelief and annoyance, silently agreeing with Ashlee as they continue to practise their drawbacks.

After an hour of applying not too much but just enough make-up and double-checking their purses for cigarettes and a lighter, Ashlee and Sarah are walking towards the front door, keeping their footsteps as quiet as possible so to not draw attention or suspicion. They can hear Johnny Young on the TV introducing the cast of Young Talent Time, so hopefully the family is distracted as they leave to go to town.

“We’re just going over to Sarah’s,” Ashlee announces, and she reaches for the door-

“Wait a second,” Tina’s voice stops them in their tracks. “Why are going over to Sarah’s?”

Ashlee quickly thinks on the spot. “We’ve been here all afternoon?” She says, except it comes out as a question, so of course her mum calls out again. 

“Come in here, so I can see you,” she insists at the same time as Ashlee mouthes, ‘Shit,’ to Sarah, but the two girls compose themselves and remain calm as the parents watch them enter the living room, David too distracted watching Tina Arena and Johnny Bowles sing on the TV. 

Tina studies them for a second before asking, “Have you got make-up on?”

“Yeah, we were just playing around,” Ashlee brushes off, Sarah just nodding in agreement. 

A smirk forms on Tina lips before saying, “Alright. Just be back here before nine.”

Of course Ashlee isn’t going to tell them that they’re intending on staying out much later, so she quickly adds, “Oh, can I stay the night?”

“Have you tidied up your room?” Joe asks.

“Yes,” Ashlee insists, she made sure to clean her room in case they had to check. She turns back to her mum, practically begging to leave. 

There’s a small sigh from Tina, but she gives in as she continues reading her book. “Alright.”

Ashlee beams at both parents. “See you tomorrow,” she calls out as she and Sarah push each other out the door. 

—

It was dark by the time the girls made it to Sutherland Shire Park. 

Usually, the park is packed to the brim with families, running groups and school students ditching class during the day. Once the sun went down, however, it attracted a polar opposite group of people. It’s the time where the popular kids, the undesirables and the like, swarm to take drugs, have sex in the back of cars or behind the trees, or just to get away from their parents. It’s exactly the place Ashlee and Sarah need to be. 

Clad in their crop tops and straight-legged Levis, the two walk side by side with their heads held high as they pass a group of boys that line the pathway to the grassy area. Ashlee plays with her hair as Sarah gives one of the boys a small smile. 

“Hey.”

“Hi,” the boy greets back, but Ashlee is quick to lead her friend away by taking her hand and quickening her pace to get closer to but far enough from where the Greenhills are. 

They stop near a park bench as they observe who’s here. Led Zeppelin is playing somewhere and teenagers ride their bikes as they can see that all the Greenhills have accumulated tonight, all split into smaller groups and talking with each other as they smoke. 

Ashlee pulls out the pack of Marlboros and gives them a shake before Sarah pulls one out for herself. Ashlee does the same and lights Sarah’s for her as she quickly looks over to where the Greenhills are. They’re trying to act as nonchalant as possible, however it’s obvious that because they’ve never come here before, it looks strange. Ashlee can see Hayley eyeing them as well as a couple of the boys, but right now she chooses to ignore them to light up her own cigarette. Sarah lets out a cough but is quick to stop herself from going into a coughing fit; it’d be embarrassing for the Greenhills to see that she can’t handle her nicotine. 

Ashlee and Sarah stay like that, smoking their cigarettes until they’ve burned to the end after five minutes, only looking at each other or somewhere else to try and avoid the increasing number of eyes on them. They don’t notice that one particular set of eyes has suddenly become interested in one of them. 

“Vicky!” Mikey calls out as he beckons her with the hand holding his own cigarette. She untangles herself from Pete’s arm and walks over to where he’s standing with Billie Joe and Patrick. “Who’s that chic over there?”

Vicky turns her head to where Mikey’s pointing and spots the girl with the red-brown hair and pointed chin.

“Ashlee,” Vicky confirms for Mikey. 

“She’s kinda hot,” he says before taking another drag as Vicky shrugs.

“She’s alright.”

Neither Ashlee or Sarah see the conversation about the former happening, but they do pay attention when the group of boys that they passed when they came here, make their way towards the Greenhills. Patrick is the first to respond as he approaches the leader, putting his hand on the other’s chest to stop him getting closer. 

“Hey. You shouldn’t be here,” Patrick warns, his tone dark and menacing. The other boys start to gather in support for Patrick. 

The leader of the opposing group scoffs. “What’re you gonna do about it?”

There’s more heated words between the two, others have started to do the same. The two girls on the outskirts just watch on. They know about the fights that some of the Greenhills boys have gotten into, they’ve had glances of their bruised knuckles when they’re in class, but witnessing one just about to occur is completely different to hearing recounts and rumours. “Shit, this is bad,” Ashlee states with a hint of fear. 

“What’re you gonna do?” the boy challenges, and that’s when Patrick takes the first hit as he swings his fist into his opponent’s face. 

Suddenly, it’s mayhem. Boys from each side are charging towards each other, there are now four fistfights happening at the same time. The girls stay back, shouting encouraging words towards Pete and Brendon as they’re sprawled on the grass, throwing punches at their opponents’ heads. No one takes notice of the two girls that are frozen in their spots and staring on in horror, unable to look away. 

“Can we get outta here?” Sarah pleads, clinging onto Ashlee’s arm. 

“We only just got here,” Ashlee argues weakly, but once she sees Patrick stand from the ground and connect his foot into the other boy’s abdomen, a harsh groan escaping from the latter, she changes her mind. 

“Fine.” Ashlee tugs Sarah’s arm and pulls themselves away from the commotion, almost running out the gates and back onto the main road. 

Back at the park, almost all the boys have broken away from each other, the Greenhills have clearly claimed victory from every fight. Pete stands from where he lays on the grass, a satisfied grin on his face despite being short of breath. He backs away, preparing for any more attacks as he notices that Patrick still hasn’t taken his eyes off the boy lying on the ground. 

Patrick swings his foot harder into his opponent’s jaw with a sickening crunch, causing everyone watching to curse and gasp loudly. It’s Brendon that jumps onto Patrick to pull him away from inflicting any more damage that’s already been done. As they watch the bloodied and beaten boy being pulled away, Brendon, Joe and Billie give Patrick pats on the back, applauding him for taking the win. Almost no one takes notice of Pete trying to escape the scene. 

“Pete!” Vicky calls out, stopping Pete in his tracks and turning around to face his girlfriend approaching him. “Are you going?”

“Yes,” he confirms, still short of breath from his fight. 

“Why?”

Pete doesn’t answer, instead wrapping his arms around Vicky. It’s more about settling Pete down more than comforting Vicky, but she says nothing as he connects their foreheads together and brings his lips to hers. It’s a shallow kiss, but no one’s complaining. 

Pete is the one to break it and he rests his head on Vicky’s shoulder, his breathing has slowed down to its normal rate. “I gotta get out of here.” He pulls away from her and he exits the park, missing the way she sighs in resignation. 

Pete walks for twenty minutes until he reaches the car park by the beach, where he knows the Captain Creamy van will be. The person that runs the van is Gerard Way, brother of Mikey, and Pete’s been seeing him quite often, but not for ice-cream. Although Gerard does, in fact, sell ice-cream, it’s a cover for the real business. 

“Hey Way,” Pete calls out as he walks up to the opening of the van. 

Gerard turns around to the sound of his name. “Pete,” he greets, seeming pleased to see one of his regular customers. 

“I’ll have a bag, mate,” Pete says. As he pulls out a ten dollar note from his pocket, Gerard removes the small tray of sprinkles and reaches in to grab a small bag of weed. He makes sure that there is no one around them before making the exchange. 

Pete thanks Gerard before leaving the van and walking in the direction of his house. It takes about forty-five minutes to get back home, and even though his parents aren’t there, he still climbs through his bedroom window. 

Once his bong is filled with clean water and the marijuana rolled into the bowl, Pete gets settled in his bed as he brings the bottle to his mouth and lights up. He inhales slowly, letting the smoke build up inside. Once he’s satisfied, he removes the flame from the bowl and inhales deeply, letting the smoke from the weed fill and burn his lungs. 

Pete exhales even slower, blowing out the smoke from his mouth and nose like a dragon. He’s feeling much better, more relaxed. It’s almost surprising to him that neither his mum or dad have any idea about his participation in drugs. For an only child, he has a lot of secrets. 

—

“Truth or dare?”  
Sarah ponders the question in her head as they walk the path to her house. They obviously can’t go back to Ashlee’s because her parents think that they’re there already, so there’s no other option as the two girls wander the dark streets with only the streetlights illuminating the way. 

“Truth,” she decides. 

“Most exciting moment you’ve ever had with a guy,” Ashlee asks as she links her arm with Sarah’s. The latter is trying to think of all the times she’s been with the South Cronulla boys, but nothing comes to mind that could be considered ‘exciting’. 

Sarah shrugs. “I don’t know.”

Ashlee pushes on. “Something you’ve never even told me?” 

When there’s silence, Ashlee stops walking and turns her head to see Sarah blushing. She gently hits her friend with her purse in shock and to keep her talking until Sarah confesses. 

“Last year with Cal.”

“That Bankie guy?” 

Ashlee lets out a laugh when Sarah nods, almost in disbelief, but her friend continues on with the story. “He told me I was the best pasher, and then he titted me off.”

“He titted you off?!” Ashlee half-yells in surprise, but not so loud as to wake the residents in the street, while Sarah laughs in embarrassment. The boys she was with had never played with her breasts before, so Ashlee was obviously shocked to know that her best friend had it done to her and she was never told. “How come you never told me that?” Sarah just shrugs, but Ashlee is already asking the next question. “What did it feel like?”

“I don’t know,” Sarah confesses. “It was like a tingle, all over.”

“Like good tingling or bad tingling?”

“Really good.”

Ashlee shakes her head, still surprised that this had happened to Sarah and was never told, but she can’t help but be ecstatic. “Did you go any further?”

“No!” Sarah exclaims, which makes Ashlee stop in her tracks and fold over herself, laughing her head off. “It’s your turn anyway.”

“Okay, okay,” Ashlee lets herself breathe and catches up to Sarah. “Dare.”

“I dare you to…” Sarah trails off as she thinks up something for Ashlee to do until she notices a house with the outdoor light illuminating the front door. “I dare you to knock-and-run that house.”

Ashlee looks to which house her friend is pointing at. “Easy,” she scoffs and starts jogging to the house. Sarah hides behind a tree as she looks on in amazement, watching how her hair bounces off her back as she slows when she approaches the door. Ashlee had always been the confident one, always the one to take a risk. 

Sarah watches as her friend stands at the door, one leg behind her to be ready to run. There’s three raps and in an instant, Ashlee is bolting across the front lawn and towards the tree where Sarah is hiding. She makes it just in time to see a woman answering the door to no one. The two girls have their hands over their mouthes to smother their cackles as they watch the woman sweeping her head in every direction to see if someone is there. Once she gives up and closes the door behind her, Ashlee and Sarah are still laughing as they sprint in the direction of Sarah’s home. 

Once they get there, as they’re climbing up the stairs to get to the front door, they can hear shouts and loud laughing coming from the living room. The two girls give each other a look, wondering what’s happening inside. They brace themselves as Sarah warily opens the door. 

“Hello?” Sarah tries calling out, but no one notices two teenage girls walking in with stunned looks on their faces. 

What they’re witnessing is a group of drunk adults. More specifically, Sarah’s parents and their friends from the tennis club, including Dale and Peter Wentz, all pissed and in only their undergarments, two of which are completely naked. They’re all cheering on as Roger jumps around in his underwear, not at all embarrassed as when they do come to realise that there are two girls staring with wide eyes, they don’t make any effort to cover themselves. 

Sarah is the first to say something. “What’s going on?”

“Well, we’re playing Strip Jack Naked,” Roger says, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Oh, of course,” Sarah replies back with sarcasm. 

“Well w-we thought you were staying at Ashlee’s,” Pam tries to explain.

“Well, we decided to come here.”

“You didn’t walk home, did you?” Roger asks, the alcohol laced in his voice. "You know I don’t like you walking home this late. Very very dangerous.”

Sarah huffs a little. “Not as dangerous as walking in here.”

Everyone in the room simply laughs at the comment. Already embarrassed enough, Sarah pulls a smirking Ashlee by the arm towards her bedroom, away from the impromptu stripping party that continues once the girls have left the room. 

—

It’s Wednesday when Ashlee catches herself staring into the mirror after she finishes brushing her teeth. 

Ashlee never thought of herself as ugly; she never thought of herself as drop dead gorgeous either. Just attractive enough to draw some attention from boys, but there was always something to change, like her nose. Ashlee never like her nose, with the bump on the ridge that made it look bigger than it was. She always thought about saving her money to go towards a nose job, but that wouldn’t be for many years. 

Ashlee continues her self analysis, playing with her hair as she purses her lips forward to see what it looks like when she kisses. She twirls her tongue around before screwing her face into a frown, definitely not her best look. 

She tries again, this time with her eyes closed and a hand on her breast, imagining a boy’s hand instead of her own teasing her nipple. Ashlee leans forward to press her lips to the mirror, slowly gaining pressure with her breath fogging the glass. She presses in with her tongue - 

Ashlee hears the twist of the doorknob and quickly pulls herself away to see her pyjama-clad dad looking on, embarrassed to walk in on his daughter doing who knows what in the bathroom. 

“I – uh, I just got toothpaste on the mirror,” Ashlee stumbles with the explanation, wiping off the excess saliva to seem convincing. 

Joe keeps looking at his daughter’s reflection, colour still present in his cheeks. “So you were licking it off.”

Ashlee shrugs. “Tastes good.”

Joe nods at this. “Probably should get a lock for the door,” he offers before exiting the bathroom just as quickly as he came in. 

Once the door’s shut, Ashlee lets out a sigh. Pathetic, she thinks to herself as she washes her hands. 

—

After the final bell, Ashlee and Sarah descend the main building side by side to get to their bus, like every other day. They are taken aback, however, to see Vicky standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at them as if she were waiting for them. 

Turns out she was, as she greets the girls with a, “Hey.”

Ashlee is the one to return the greeting. “Hey.”

“Coming down to the Pipes?”

Ashlee holds in her excitement when she replies, “Yeah,” because this is an official invitation from one of the head Greenhills girls to come to their hangout spot. 

Vicky, Sarah and Ashlee walk in slightly awkward silence, lagging behind the other girls and boys, until Vicky breaks it with important news. 

“So, you know Way, right?”

“The Captain Creamy guy?” Sarah asks with a hint of confusion. 

“Nah. His brother, Mikey?” Vicky looks to Ashlee when she says, “He likes you.”

Ashlee faces Vicky to see if it’s some sort of joke, but she seems serious as she continues to assure her. “He’s pretty hot, and like, one of the best surfers. And he has a panel van.”

“Wow,” Sarah says with fascination. A boy that drove his own car, especially a panel van, was huge. It meant getting picked up from your parent’s house. It meant going anywhere and everywhere that they wanted to. It meant impromptu make out sessions over the brake handle or in the backseat. 

“He’s meeting us down at the Pipes.”

Ashlee nods at this. “Right, okay,” she replies, a little nervous about how it will go, but the excitement of a Greenhills boy liking her overshadows that. 

The journey takes about fifteen minutes until they reach the area of bushland known as the Pipes, fittingly because of the pyramid of three large stormwater pipes that are situated there. Almost everyone in the gang is still in their uniforms, except for two, Billie Joe Armstrong and the one that is leaning against a tree when Vicky points him out to Ashlee as they get closer. 

“That’s him.”

The two girls gawk at the sight of beauty. “Oh my god,” Sarah gasps to Ashlee. “You are so lucky.”

And she is, because Mikey Way is a true doll. Long hair, long limbs and long fingers that hold his cigarette in its place. He’s talking to Patrick, which gives Ashlee the opportunity to study everything else. His sharp jawline and cheekbones, how his body is so slim but in a healthy way. He’s not smiling at the moment, but it makes him look more mysterious. 

Mikey notices the group approaching, his lingering eyes on Ashlee spark more nerves inside her. “Do I look all right?” she quickly asks Sarah, who is quick to reassure. 

“Yeah.” Sarah gives a quick pat on her friend’s shoulder before pulling her hand back to herself, because now Mikey is towering over Ashlee, his eyes never leaving hers. 

“Hey,” he says with a smile at the corner of his lips. It makes Ashlee blush a little. 

“Hey,” she greets back, returning the smile. Everyone is crowding around to see the conversation happen. 

“Do you know who I am?”

Ashlee nods with regaining confidence. “Yeah.”

“Get into her, mate!”

“Piss off,” Mikey shouts back to whoever spoke, but Ashlee pays no mind as he takes her hand, leading her away towards the pipes. Not that private but further away from the audience at least.

Mikey turns to face Ashlee and brings his head forward to connect lips. The kiss is fast and to the point that Ashlee almost can’t keep up. Luckily, Mikey breaks the kiss so the both of them can breathe. 

“Wanna go round with me?” Mikey asks, both corners of his lips turned upwards. 

Ashlee is quick to say, “Yeah,” because next thing she knows, Mikey goes back for another kiss. This time she’s ready, returning the same pressure as she pushes back with her lips. 

The crowd surrounding them whistles and cheers for them, but Ashlee doesn’t care as she pushes through Mikey’s teeth with her tongue. Right now, in this moment, it’s bliss. 

She has a boyfriend.

— 

“He’s got really good hair.”

“Yeah, he’s so great.”

Ashlee is still gushing over Mikey being her boyfriend with Sarah, rubbing the area of her face where Mikey’s stubble was scratching as they consummated their relationship in front of ten or so other teens. 

“I think I’ve got beard rash,” Ashlee declares, which makes Sarah laugh over the phone line. 

“My god, I know I keep on saying it but you’re so lucky.”

Ashlee lets out a small squeal of happiness. It still seems unreal to her. “I can’t believe he likes me.” 

“Who are you talking to?” Tina asks as she walks past her daughter to get to the kitchen. 

“Hang on a sec,” Ashlee tells Sarah before she lowers the handset away from her mouth to ask, “What?”

Her mum puts a pot of water on the stove to boil as she says, “You’ve been on the phone for over an hour. What if Dad’s trying to call?”

“I’m talking to Sarah.”

“You saw her all day at school.”

Ashlee just rolls her eyes. “Can you stop going on about that, Mum? This is really important.”

“Well, you can talk to her about it tomorrow,” Tina reasons as she shakes salt into the pot. 

Sarah must have heard some of that conversation, because she asks, “Do you have to go?”

Ashlee sighs as she brings the handset back to her mouth. “Just hang on a sec.”

“Alright, I’ll just go and get my ice cream.”

“No, Sarah,” Ashlee stops the shuffling from the other end of the phone line. “You can’t eat ice cream anymore, you gotta look good for the beach on Saturday.”

She can hear Sarah ponder over this as they recall the number of times she has come to school with red spots dotting her face from consuming too much dairy the previous day. “Yeah, you’re right.”

At the same time, Ashlee hears the click of the front door opening and closing. She turns her head to see her dad walking into the kitchen. 

“You’re late,” Tina remarks, still focused on cooking dinner before Joe turns her around and draws her in for a passionate kiss. 

Ashlee just watches on with furrowed brows. This is a strange moment because her parents are not openly affectionate, especially not in public. So for Joe to waltz in and pash her mother in front of her is very strange to say the least. Tina voices this reasoning in between kisses, but either Joe didn’t hear or doesn’t care as he trails his hands down her hips to cup her arse. 

“Oh my god.”

“What?” Sarah asks with curiosity. 

“My parents are acting really weird,” Ashlee whispers as to not disturb her parents’ make out session in the kitchen. She quietly gathers the phone in her arms and sneaks off into her bedroom to continue their conversation about Mikey. 

—

The week goes by in a flash and soon it’s Saturday, and once again Sarah and Ashlee are walking side by side with sand between their toes. It’s almost a mirror of the events only weeks ago when they were trying to impress the Greenhills, however today is different, because this time they’re allowed to join in with the group. 

At least Ashlee is, anyway. Sarah still needs a boyfriend so that she’s officially in, but it doesn’t matter right now. What does is that they have been approved and accepted by the other girls, demonstrated by the continuous smoke breaks during lunch. 

As the two girls near the solitary bundle of teenagers on the beach, Ashlee can make out Mikey among the other boys as he converses with someone and gesturing his hand out towards the waves breaking on shore. She decides to call out to him. 

“Mikey!”

Ashlee puts on her most charming yet easy-going smile as Mikey turns his head away from the water and towards her, standing up as he does with a small smirk on his lips. Ashlee quickens her pace slightly to get closer, but before she can stay anything Mikey grabs her by the neck and pulls her in for a hard kiss. 

Ashlee is completely caught off guard and she tries to pull away, but the grip that Mikey still has on her neck is firm to keep her in place. Ashlee gags a little when he sticks his tongue into her mouth, but she relaxes as she lets him suck on her lips, her neck straining slightly from holding it up. 

Mikey pulls away from his greeting kiss and lets Ashlee catch her breath, furrowing his eyebrows a little as he asks, “What took you so long?”

“It’s a long walk up the beach,” she says. 

Mikey’s forehead smoothes over as he nods. “Oh, you should’ve told me. I would’ve picked you up.”

Ashlee blushes a little and tucks a few stray strands of her hair behind her ears as Mikey takes her free hand, leading her towards the rest of the group. He gestures for the other boys to open up some space for the new couple, sitting them both down and wrapping his arm around Ashlee’s shoulders as he continues the previous conversation he was having before. 

Ashlee’s heart is thumping, her insides turned into a bundle of nerves, but when she peers over someone’s head to find her best friend chatting away with Vicky and another girl, she relaxes a little more. Sarah must sense her apprehension, because she turns her attention to Ashlee and gives her a wide beam.

Ashlee gives her a smile back and it gives her more reassurance that this is real and it’s happening, so she leans into Mikey’s touch a bit more and greets the other boys that surround her. 

It is now official. Ashlee and Sarah are now a part of the Greenhills Gang. 

This is exciting. 

Except after an hour or so, the excitement has worn off. 

All the girls have stripped to their bikinis and are still chatting to each other as they sunbake. Some are wrapped in their boyfriend’s arms, but no one makes a move to go in the water. Everyone just stays within the perimeter of the patch of sand they’re occupying as they talk; it’s getting boring. 

Ashlee hadn’t even gotten the chance to reconnect with Sarah because she’s been by Mikey’s side the whole time, even if he hasn’t spoken to her since their initial greeting. He’s talking to Brendon about something that she hasn’t paid attention to as she lies on her towel letting the sun burn her fair skin; she forgot to put on sunscreen. 

Ashlee lets out a soft sigh and turns her head to see Billie Joe laid over Melanie, kissing. They either don’t notice someone is watching or they don’t care that they’re on public display, Ashlee can’t look away as Billie caresses Melanie’s thigh, slightly tugging at her bikini bottoms.

She watches on as Melanie pulls away and tries to push Billie off her body, only for him to pin her hand down with his own and reach down his pants with the other. 

Ashlee’s eyes widen as Billie starts thrusting his hips up and down, his eyes half-closed with pleasure and turned away from Melanie who just lays limp under him, wincing slightly as he continues to fuck her so openly. 

Ashlee has to tear her eyes away from the scene. Both she and Sarah were aware of the sexual activity that goes on within the gang, but that was the last thing on their minds as they so desperately tried to win them over. Now that has been a success, and Ashlee has just witnessed what Billie had done and how Melanie reacted, doubts are swarming in her mind. 

Is this what Mikey will be like? Will he just root her on the sand for everyone to see if they just turn their heads?

Will Ashlee even like it?

She doesn’t think about the answers to those questions, instead choosing to study her new boyfriend’s profile. It’s early days, he seems nice. It should be all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you to everyone who reads this. Hopefully the next chapter won't take this long to complete, but most likely it will. Sorry.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Sorry if the writing's a bit shaky, hopefully I'll be able to improve as I practice. Feel free to leave a comment if you have constructive criticism, if I missed a slang term or if you want to ask me about Australian culture. 
> 
> I'll try to update this to the best of my ability.


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